Reticulate irises started to bloom here in the greater Washington, D.C. area this week.
Earlier this week a friend lamented in an email that bulbs received as reticulate iris 'Frank Elder' were starting to bloom but were not true to name. They appear to be another nice reticulate cultivar, Lady Beatrix Stanley. I had ordered 'Frank Elder' from the same source, and my plants are not starting to bloom and they too are Lady Beatrix Stanley.
I've had 'Frank Elder' from other sources in the past, but I've never been able to from a clear sense of how it differs from the very similar 'Katharine Hodgkin'. Now I wonder if I've ever had the real thing. I also have 'Sheila Ann Germaney' (from Jane McGary) and it is distinct.
There might be more excitement on the way: the same firm offered bulbs of Vinogradov"s iris at an irresistible price. Mine are about to bloom, and the emerging sprout looks like no other reticulate iris I've grown in the past. I soooooo want these to be Vinogradov's iris, a species I've known about all my adult life. In the past the price kept it out of reach. I hope I'm not about to be disappointed.
Jim McKenney
jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com
Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.021954º North, 77.052102º West, USDA zone 7
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